Vertical steam-boiler



(No Model.) 2 Shets -She et 1-. J. A. LANGDON.

VERTICAL STEAM BOILER.

No. 281,890. Patented Jul 'zil -lsss 2 Sheets-Sheet '2.

(No Model.)

J.'A. LANGDON.

VERTIGAL STEAM BOILER.

No. 281,890. Patented Ju1y24, 18.83.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFicE.

JOSEPH A. LANGDON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

VERTICAL STEAM-BOI'LE R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,890, dated July 24,1883.

Application filed March 26, 1883. (No model.)

I 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. LANGDON, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Vertical Steam Boilers; and I do hereby declare thefollow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to vertical steam-boilers, and has specialreference to what are termed base-burning boilers, in which the fuel isfed to the fire-ehamber through a magazine or reservoir in the center ofthe boiler. In the vertical boilers of this class the flame and productsof combustion have been carried from the upper part-of the fire-chamberby means of tubes leading downwardly to the base of the boiler, theproducts of combustion then passing upwardly around the outer shell ofthe boiler to the flue. On account of the circuitous draft of theseboilers they could only be advantageously employed with hard oranthracite coal, and on account of the locationof the vertical tubesthey could notbe reached to clean them or to replace them in" case theyburned out.

The object of my invention is to form a ver I tieal steam-boiler bywhich these and other of vertical tubes or flues connecting the fire.

' chamber and the smoke-chamber.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation, referring to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional perspective of my improvedboiler. Fig. 2 is a side view of the upp er end thereof, the surroundingbrick -w ork being broken away; and Fig. 3 is a cross-section of theline as 00, Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

In the drawings, A represents my improved boiler, which is supported onthe brick foundation a, or a suitable base, above the ash-pit B, and issurrounded by the wall G, which envelopes the boiler and forms the smokeand heating space D around it. In the lower part of the boiler is thefire-chamber E, having the door or opening 6 and the grate b, of anysuitable and approved construction, a shaking grate being generallyemployed. In the center of the boiler is the fuel magazine or reser- 6ovoir F, which extends from the top down into the fire-chamber the properdistance to deliver the fuel therein. The magazine is closed at the topby a suitable cover or lid, f, and is provided at the base with anannular cast-iron 6 5 shoe, to withstand the heat of the fire-chamber,the shoe 9 having a contracted mouth to support the fuel in the magazineand feed it to the furnace more slowly. The walls of the fuel-magazineand the fire-chamber form the inner shell of the boiler, the outer shellthereof being the same diameter throughout, and the water is held incontact with the wall and top plate of the fire-chamber, so as to absorbthe heat therefrom, while the water and steam surrounding the fuel inthe reservoir prevent its beingraised to a higher heat than the water orsteam in the boiler.

Above the fire-chamber E is the annular smoke-chamber H, formed of theplates h h,

riveted to the outer shell of the boiler, and the tubular plate h aroundthe magazine, a short distance therefrom, a smoke-chamber being thusformed within the body of the boiler. The smoke-chamber communicateswith the annular heatingspace D around the boiler by means of a seriesof ports, Z, cut in the shell or outer plates of the boiler, these portsallowing the free passage of the smoke therefrom, and the access to thevertical tubes k, hereinafo ter referred to. This smoke-chamberHisconnected with the fire-chamber by means of the series of vertical tubesor flues 7c 70, the smoke and heated products of combustion passingupward through this series of tubes to the smoke-chamber'directlythrough the largest body of water in the boiler, so that the heat isabsorbed from them by the water. As the tubes are submergedthat is,entirely surrounded by the water in the boiler-they are not liable toburn out rapidly. The smokechamber H, withi n the boiler, also gives alarge heating-surface for the products of combustion, largely increasingthe heating capacity of the boiler. I11 the outer brick-wall, O,opposite each of the ports Z, are formed the openings m, through whichaccess is obtained to the smokeehamber for cleaning the vertical tubesor replacing them in case they are burned out, these openings givingfree access to the smokechamber, so that the upper end of the tubesinserted within the boiler may be secured within the plate h by means ofan expanding tool, the lower ends of the tubes being expanded in likemanner in the top plate of the fire-chamber, the chamber being largeenough to permit the workmen to enter therein. The openings m are.closed by doors a.

Extending around the boiler, above the smoke-chamber, is the bridge-wallp, the wall having a port, 1', on the side of the boiler opposite thechimney-flue s, the wall serving to support the boiler and to deflectthe smoke and heated products within the smoke-chamber and around theboiler, so that more heat is absorbed from them, and also to cause thesuperheating of the steam in the steam-space above the water, all theproducts of combustion necessarily passing around this steamspace.

In order to allow the escape of any gas generated from the fuel in thereservoir or passing up the reservoir,I employ the pipe t,leading fromthe top of the reservoir to the chimney-flue s, or around to the chamberE, the

voir directly to the flue, or into the fire-chamber, where they can beconsumed; and I thus overcome the necessity heretofore found .in thesereservoir feed-boilers of forming the res ervoir entirely separate fromthe boiler.

The boiler is provided with suitable feedwater and damper regulators,safety-valves, and gagecocks, and with the steam-pipes for conduct-ingthe steam to the engine, pump, or steam-heating system with which it isemployed, these not being illustrated in the drawings.

The operation of my improved vertical boiler is as follows: The fuel isfed to the fire-chamber E through the magazine or reservoir F, and thesmoke and heated products of combustion pass from the fire-chamber upthrough the series of vertical tubes or fiues is into the smoke-chamberH, and from thence through the ports Z in the boiler-shell to the smokespace D, passing around within the smokechamber or smoke-space to theport 1' in the bridge-wall p, and from thence around the steam-space ofthe boiler to the chimney-flue s. The water within the jacket orwaterspace of the boiler around the fire-chamber, and in the largewater-space above the fire-chamber, is heated directly by the heatwithin the firechamber, and, as the heating-surface is large, a largeamount of heat is absorbed by and steam generated from the water aroundand above the fire-chamber. As the heated pro- QSLSBI) ducts ofcombustion pass through the series of submerged tubes 7c, they stillfurther heat the water, causing the rapid generation of steam in thislarge body of water, and, in passing into and around within the annularsmoke-chamber H to the port 0 of the bridge-wall, the largeheating-surface of the smoke-chamber causes the still greater generationof steam. As the heated products are held within the smokespace D by thedamper within the chimneyfiue, they impart their heat through the outershell of the boiler, and, as they necessarily pass around the upper partor steam-space of the boiler, serve to superheat the steam therein, andthe entire shell of the boiler, within and without, thus act asheating-surfaces. As the fuel in the magazine or reservoir F issurrounded with the water of the boiler, it is evident that it cannot bebrought to a higher heat than the steam therein, and this heat is notliableto coke the soft or bituminous coal to any extent, so that thiscoal can be fed properly to the fire-chamber. Any gas generated in orpassing up through the reservoir is carried by the pipe 13 directly tothe chimney-flue or firechamber, thus preventing the escape of gas fromthe fuel, which is found so objectionable in these baseburning furnaces.As the draft of the furnace is in substantially an upward direction, itis sufficiently direct to permit the employment of the soft orbituminous coal with 3 the furnace, the usual base-burning boilernecessarily using only hard coal or coke. gases thus passing from thetop of the reser- I11 case the tubes is within the boiler should beburned out, they can be easily replaced, as the fire-chamber is largeenough to work in, and

the upper ends of the tubes can be reached through the openings withinthe outer wall, 0, and the ports Z in the boiler-shell, these openingsand ports giving free access for tools to spread or expand the tubesinserted or to clean the tubes or smoke-chamber. The boiler thus formedis composed entirely of wroughtiron plates or tubes, and for this reasonI obtain an even expansion and contraction of the different parts underdifferent heats, as well as a boiler which is not so liable to crack ori burn out as where part or all of the boiler is formed of cast-iron.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A vertical steanrboiler having a central. feedingmagazine, afire-ehamber below said magazine an annular smoke-chamber within theboileraround said magazine communicating with said fire-chamber by aseries of verti cal tubes, and an annular smoke-space around saidboiler, said smoke-chamber eommunicat ing with said smoke-space by meansof a series of ports in the boilershell, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

2. In a vertical magazine-feed steam-boiler, an annular smoke-chamberwithin theboiler provided with a series of ports on the shell thereof,in combination with a series of openings in the outer wall of the boilercommunieating with said ports, substantially as and for site thechimney-flue, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. thepurposes set forth. IO

3. A vertical steam-boiler provided with a In testimony whereof I, thesaid J OSEPH A.

smoke-space around the boiler, in combination LANGDON, have hereunto setmy hand.

5 with the annular bridge -wall 1), extending JOSEPH A. LANGDON.

around the boiler across the smoke-space be- \Vitnesses: low thechimney-flue and above the smoke-en- W. K. MOGINNESS, trance, and havingthe port 9' at the side oppo- JAMES I. KAY.

